The He Bei Rebellion
by Jei Tzu
Summary: A one off. Based on a story arc of Dynasty Tactics 2. Read and review, please.


**The He Bei Rebellion**

_Jian Ye, Yang Province._

The walls of Jian Ye were blood red in the fading sunlight, but the colour was not all due to the lighting. Blood was all over the streets, and all due to Cao Cao's Wu campaign. It was no longer really a battle, Cao Cao's men had seen to the majority of the hard fighting, and now the mopping up phase could begin. Sun Quan had yet to be captured, and this was essential, as without him held prisoner, Wu could easily rise from the ashes as soon as the Wei troops left. As Cao Cao had said before the battle, "A smouldering fire may regain its previous strength if left unchecked." 

General Xiahou Dun stood in the plaza which dominated the centre of Jian Ye. His horse was behind him, whickering nervously; even trained warhorses got nervous sometimes. In front of him stood a line of captured Wu troops, and their leader, Lu Meng. He stood tall and proud, despite the chains that bound his hands. Dun sighed. His will was strong, and Cao Cao had said any who resisted his power would have to be executed. Xiahou Dun looked deep into Meng's eyes as he said the next words.

"Lord Lu Meng, renowned Strategist, there is nothing left for Wu here. Join me, join Cao Cao, and your name will go down in history as a hero!" Dun's remaining eye glinted as he made the speech. Lu Meng shook his head, and without bidding, kneeled.

"I am ready for heaven to receive my soul." He said. Dun nodded curtly, and a soldier stepped forward from the ranks. He raised his sword and curtly removed Lu Meng's head from his body.

Cao Cao, meanwhile, was on Sun Quan's trail. The son of Sun Jian seemed to have inherited his father's persistence, but he must know now that he was beaten. No matter how long he fled through the winding streets of Jian Ye, he would eventually be captured. Cao Cao dug his heels into his horses flanks and rode hard down the road, his cavalry troopers following suit. They rode forward, following their instincts more than anything, and, yes, at the end of a nearby alley stood a man with a gold helm, leaning over the broken body of a woman who lay at his feet. The man raised his head. It was Sun Quan. He sunk to his knees and held out his hands.

"Kill me," He said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "My family is destroyed! My friends are captured! I have nothing left to live for." Cao Cao rode down the alleyway, drawing the Avenger from its sheath. He raised the sword above his head, and hacked down, killing the last member of the illustrious Sun Family.

_Cao Cao's camp, Yang Province._

The Wei forces met outside Jian Ye, in the camp they'd kept while they attempted to break down the walls. Jian Ye was burning and broken, and although it was midday the next day, the sky was still tinted red; red with the smoke which curled into the sky. When Xiahou Dun arrived, many of Cao Cao's officers were there already, looking forward to the journey home, looking forward to relaxing back at Xu Chang. Xu Huang and Dian Wei smiled at Dun as he entered the tent complex, his soldiers filing behind him. He spotted Xu Chu, who was munching on a gargantuan banquet, and Xun Yu, Cao Cao's second strategist, who was bent over a parchment, scribing things down. Behind him, a voice cried out, "All hail the mighty Prime Minister of the Han, Cao Cao, and his warlord, Guo Jia!" Dun's head, and almost every other head in the complex swung round.

Cao Cao was dressed in his battle armour, riding a fine black steed. His sword sat his sheath, the hilt just visible underneath the bottom of his armour. If you looked closely, it was possible to see curls of jet-black hair that had escaped the bun he wore them in under his helmet. Behind him rode a slighter man with sliver hair. He was dressed in robes of court, which were redder than they were meant to be, and he carried his sword in his right hand, also stained with blood. This was Guo Jia, seen as one of the wisest men in the whole of the middle kingdom.

"Ah, cousin!" called Cao Cao jovially as he rode past Dun. "I got Sun Quan! We can leave this place to rot, the Sun family is destroyed!" His cousin was always in a good mood after a successful battle, thought Dun as he nodded. "Meet me in my tent to discuss our next moves!" He called as he rode on by, waving to his roaring troops.

Dun's head was reeling. Surely Cao Cao didn't expect them to go on another campaign! The battle against Wu had lasted almost a year, and the men were tired. Dun had heard reports of a famine in Ji, You and Yu, and many of his soldiers wanted to make sure their families were all right. Still, he better go to the lord's tent. Just in case he could argue a point across. But Cao Cao rarely listened to him, his cousin, and only took council from people like Sima Yi and Guo Jia. Well, he decided. It was still worth a shot.

Dun was one of the last generals to arrive in Cao Cao's tent. Cao Cao sat behind a huge campaign map of China, and behind him hung a banner, with his style name scrawled across it. 'Cao Mengde.' Dun took his seat in the centre of the table, directly opposite Cao Cao; he was the second-in-command, and thus often sat in a position of status. Standing behind either shoulder of Cao Cao were the two strategists, Guo Jia and Xun Yu. Shortly after Dun took his seat, Cao Cao clapped his hands together and began to speak.

"Generals, today we won a great victory! We have defeated the niggling pain that is Wu with sweeps of our decisive swords! Sun Quan his dead, as is his sister, and most of Wu's commanders are dead or imprisoned." Cao Cao smiled widely. He's enjoying himself, thought Dun. He's caused so much hurt, but he's enjoying it! Dun could barely conceal his rage. Cao Cao continued; "I know what you are all thinking! I know what Liu Bei is thinking! He expects us to fall back to Yu to rebuild out forces. But that is why I, Cao Mengde, will not stop, and attack Jing province straight away!"

Dun stood up angrily. "You cannot expect the troops to march on! They are tired, and hungry, and they want to see their families!" Mengde regarded Dun quizzically.

"Once an arrow is fired, it cannot be stopped until it reaches its target. My army is like that!"

"My army isn't," muttered Dun.

"You must understand. If we move now, we can wipe out Liu Bei before he has a chance to respond!"

Dun looked Mengde straight in the eye. "Still you will not listen to my counsel?" He asked dangerously quietly.

"No. I am the Lord, and my decision is made."

Dun stood up, his eyes narrowed and his face contorted in a snarl. "Then… you are not my Lord!" He roared, grabbing the campaign table and upending it. If fell over, the pieces scattering. In the confusion, Dun slipped out and, gathering his men, he rode out of the camp. He would make Cao Cao pay. Pay for mistreating his warriors.

_Xu Chang, Yu Province._

Xiahou Dun rode hard for Xu Chang. His unit was made up completely of Horsemen, which meant he did not have to delay for any foot soldiers. Still, it took almost 1 week to reach Xu Chang, the capital of the Wei kingdom. Dun had dispatched a runner to Xu Chang calling upon all his followers to meet him in the drill yard in the city's barracks. As his army rode into the courtyard, he was shocked to see who was there. Standing nearby was Sima Yi, whom Cao Cao had criticised on many an occasion. His cousins, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, were there, both famed for being noble men with pure hearts. His brother, Xiahou Yuan and Yuan's son, Xiahou Ba were there also, as was Cao Cao's step-son, Cao Xiu, and many men he failed to recognize. Yuan stepped forward, and, as Dun dismounted, he asked, "Brother Dun. What's wrong?"

_Southern Ji Province, Qiao Border._

After Dun's coup at Xu Chang, things had moved very quickly. Dun had picked the He Bei region, claiming the provinces of Ji and You as his own, and he tasked many soldiers to farm the desolate land, in an attempt to break the cold famine that gripped the region. Cao Cao, of course, had not let this rebellion go unpunished. Mustering his whole army, he had stormed through Xu and Qiao, routing Xiahou Yuan's army on the way, while send a force under Zhang He to quell the fighting in Xu Chang, where street fighting was common. The capital was in chaos. Dun, hearing of Cao Cao's approach, gathered his army and rode out to meet his cousin on the field of battle. The battlefield in question was not far outside of Chi, a town on the Ji-Qiao border.

There was not much strategy in the battle. The mighty generals of the loyalist faction crashed into the line of devoted rebels under Xiahou Dun. The fighting was bloody, but neither force could gain any ground. Finally, Dun committed his own personal cavalry regiment to the fighting, and broke Wei's left wing, an army commanded by the famed Zhang Liao. Dun then led his cavalry, and all the men on his own right, who were led by Cao Ren, in a sweeping charge as they crashed into the flank of Cao Cao's main unit. In the blood and dust that followed, the two commanders came face to face.

"Why, Xiahou Dun?" Asked Cao Cao, as the two men circled each other. "Why did you see fit to betray me?" Dun looked hard at his cousin, and he felt like charging right there and then, and killing the man who had caused this hate.

"I share your dream of a land united." Said Dun, "But I will no forsake my brothers in arms to achieve that goal!" And with a roar, the one-eyed warrior leapt forward, hurling his lance at Cao Cao. The shot was superb, and it would have speared Cao Cao's heart, except for the fact that a man clad in armour leapt in the way. Dian Wei took the full brunt of the attack, but he remained on his feet. With a cry of pain, he wrenched the spear from his armour, and then snapped it with his bare hands. Like a twig.

"You will not lay a finger on the Prime Minister!" yelled Dian Wei, his sword pointing at Dun's head. Dun cursed, and spat on the ground, before turning his horse and riding into the fray, away from Cao Cao.

The battle raged on for the remainder of the day, the superior numbers of Cao Cao's battered, tired army holding out until the sun set. As night threw its veil across the land, both armies withdrew, Cao Cao's to Xia Pi, and Xiahou Dun's to Bei Ping. The battle of Chi had ended in a draw. Any chance of a concise victory for either force lay in doubt. The central plains were going to torn apart by a bloody civil war.

_Ye, Ji Province._

It was a month after the Battle of Chi, and Zhang He's army had finally reached Ye. After quelling the riots in Xu Chang, the commander's army had been forced to fight a hard battle at three different locations on the march to Ye, and his men were tired. They had been fighting men considered allies, but to Zhang He, this feeling was not new. It had been a feeling he'd felt after he'd defected from Yuan Shao's forces, and was used to fighting those he'd once called friends. Ye was a tricky proposition, but it was essential to take it; it was the largest settlement in the Ji province, and as long as it stood, the traitor Xiahou Dun would have somewhere to run. It had been easy getting in; the gate guards were lax, and the civilian crowd had helped. Except that, when they had panicked, all hell had broken loose.

Cao Ren's defending army had marched into the city's plaza, and met Zhang He's forces in a full on assault. The battle, fought in such an enclosed space, was difficult to manevour, and many slain soldiers could not fall; they were held up by the close proximity of the other men. As the day wore on into evening, Cao Hong struck Zhang He a fatal blow, and as he lay dying, he cursed the traitor who stood above him. Zhang He's second in command, Gao Lan desperately held the line, but despite his efforts, it looked like the fighting was turning against him. This all changed when Cao Ren was hit by a stray arrow, and Cao Hong injured by Gao Lan's bodyguard. Without there commanders, the rebel forces began to mill about in disarray, and Gao Lan managed to inflict heavy casualties upon his foe. As the rebel forces broke, only one general could hold the line. He was Deng Ai, and he slew many of Gao Lan's battle-hardened troops, including his own standard bearer, before he to fell back.

That evening, Gao Lan surveyed the city. The Loyalists had won, and they now held the city, though it had been won at great cost. Zhang He was dead, as were many of his best men, and the rebels had lost little, except for Cao Ren, who's corpse had been identified on the battle field. That night, Gao Lan vowed that he would avenge Zhang He. His friend's killer would not go unpunished.

Bei Ping, You Province. 

Things had come to a head so quickly, thought Xiahou Dun as he rode out of Bei Ping at the head of his army. After Ye had fallen, Cao Cao's forces had solidified their hold on Ji, which left him with You. And now Cao Cao had mobilized his entire army to make sure he didn't keep that territory either. Beside him rode Sima Yi, his official strategist, and he was deep in thought. This campaign had proved that he was inferior to Guo Jia, and he wouldn't be afforded anything but death when he was captured. Dun was slightly happier. He had proved his point to Cao Cao by taking the life of one of his generals, and it was an established fact that other men in the loyalist forces were thinking of joining the better-fed cause of Xiahou Dun. But he knew that he would be captured, and most likely executed after the looming battle.

The two forces drew their lines up in the woods outside of Bei Ping, but for some reason, neither Guo Jia or Sima Yi were present, and both Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun had no idea of what they were up to. But this fact soon dropped to the back of the general's mind as the two armies rushed together. The fighting was frantic, and the frost on the air and on the ground was making the fighting hard; the tricky footing disabled many cavalry units. But the fight continued regardless, with many commanders dismounting and fighting on foot beside their soldiers. To start with, the armies seemed to be in a deadlock, but the rebels slowly began to lose ground, to be pushed back towards the city.

Elsewhere, Guo Jian rode at the head of his foot soldiers. He was angry, and not without good reason. Sima Yi had poisoned a friend of his, and he had seen the treacherous man escape from Cao Cao's camp. In a moment of hot-headedness, he'd gathered about a thousand men and raced into the woods after Sima Yi and his personal guard. They were out of the woods, now, and crossing a plain, just as the heavens opened and soft snowflakes fell onto the field, adding to the tranquil appearance. But things suddenly got a lot less tranquil. He had caught up with Sima Yi, but the man himself kept running: his troops peeling away to contain Guo Jia's followers. Guo Jia, however, rode through the fray, and on after Yi into the forest. Sima Yi's horse collapsed from exhaustion, and Guo Jia drew his sword as he neared his archenemy.

"I have you now!" He said, and thrust his sword down. Sima Yi parried with his own blade and rose to his feet. He gave a slow smile.

"My poor, hot-headed Guo Jia." He stepped towards him, so Guo Jia could feel his breath on his cheek. "You are the one that is doomed." An explosion of pain exploded through Guo Jia's back. An archer had shot through the back of his ribcage, and pierced his heart. The noble strategist fell from his horse, and onto his face, and knew no more.

The forests outside Bei Ping echoed with the cries of dying men as the battle for the city began to draw to a bloody close. Many of the rebel generals were dead or worse, captured, and now only Xiahou Dun, Deng Ai and Cao Hong remained with their men, almost completely encircled by Cao Cao's loyalist army.

"So this is it." Muttered Ai, and Dun and Hong nodded in agreement.

"To War!" Yelled a voice from Cao Cao's ranks, and the force sprung forward simultaneously. Xiahou Dun hacked one man down, while Ai locked blades with Dian Wei. Cao Hong, however, came face to face with Gao Lan.

"It is the end for you," said Gao Lan, in a matter of fact voice.

"Oh, I know," said a sad sounding Hong. He offered no resitiance when Gao Lan ran him through.

Xiahou Dun and Deng Ai put up a tiger's resistance, but both men were captured, as was the city. In the woods, Sima Yi surrendered to Guo Jia's men, knowing that he would die happy, having fulfilled his dream of becoming one of the wisest in the land, as now Guo Jia could no longer contest his title. The rebellion had fallen, and now only the fate of the leaders was left to decide.

_Cao Cao's Camp, You Province._

Cao Cao sat behind his mended campaign table, and carefully removed Xiahou Dun's flag from the city of Bei Ping. Sitting opposite him were three men. Only three. Many generals had been injured at the battle of Bei Ping, and only Xun Yu, Dian Wei, and Xu Huang still sat opposite him, tall and proud. The man Cao Cao was missing the most, however was Guo Jia. The strategist's calm assuredness, and cutting intelligence made even the startlingly intelligent Xun Yu look like a dunce. Ah, well. He'd have to make do. Xun Yu brought him back to the present.

"My Lord, we have a message from the prisoners." Cao Cao looked up, his blue eyes brooding.

"Mm?" He queried, waiting for Xun Yu to elaborate.

"Lords Xiahou Dun and Sima Yi plead you to punish only them. Their men are not to blame." Cao Cao stroked his goatee.

"That does sound like something Xiahou Dun would say…" He paused, his brow furrowing. "Very well. Dian Wei. Deal with them."

Xiahou Dun and Sima Yi had been confined to a small tent on the outskirts of the camp, with their hands bound. Their allies had been taken to similar tents, and they'd all been left to sweat it out while judgement was passed. Now it looked like this particular pair's time was up. The tent flap lifted, and Dian Wei strode in, tall and proud, and carrying a long sword.

"Gentlemen, are you ready to receive your punishment?" snarled the huge man.

"I have no regrets," Dun muttered, kneeling before the towering officer, and waiting for Sima Yi to join him.

"Neither have I," said Yi, dropping to his knees as well. Dian Wei pulled Dun's helmet and Sima Yi's headdress off, and raised the sword above his head.

"Prepare yourseves!" snarled Wei, and with a swish, the blade cut down towards the two prisoners, scything past their necks.

Dun looked up in surprise.

"The great Dian Wei never misses!" He said, shocked that the terrifying warrior's nerves had given in.

"I didn't," he grunted, nodding at the ground in front of Dun. Lying in the dirt before the rebel commander was a strand of his hair. Dian Wei continued, "The Prime Minister ordered me to remove a lock of your hair. You are now free to go." And with that, Dian Wei, slashed the sword down again, cutting a lock of Sima Yi's hair off, and also severing his bonds. He finished by removing Dun's bonds as well, before pivoting and leaving the tent.

_Xu Chang, Yu Province._

Dun and Yi stood in the centre of the drill yard where the civil war had started, remembering all the men who'd dyed for their cause. Yi was thinking of Guo Jia. Had he really deserved to die? Dun, however was thinking of his friends, Cao Hong and Cao Ren, both killed by the forces of Gao Lan. But despite this both men were reaching a decision.

"Have you decided yet?" It was Dun.

"It's clear to me now." Said Sima Yi, nodding.

"That we will once again give our lives in Cao Cao's service," Said Dun, nodding. The sun began to set on the horizon, and the two men began to prepare for war. They began to prepare for the beginning of Cao Cao's rule over all of China.

End.


End file.
